The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-03-24
SAM SMALps LAST SPREE.
A Lurld Picture OF Himself by Sam Jones's
Convert.

The Rev. Sam Small spoke to large
audience in Cooper Union, New York,
last Tuesday night. After short intro.
ductory, be said:
I was we'll born. Ihad noble mother
and noble father. At school became
acquainted with young men who had
seen something of a dissipated life.
After graduating soon found myself
immersed in frivolity and pleasure in
one of the capital cities of the South. I
saw that the great men of the State were
leaders in those friyolities, and l said I
would do as they did. / believed that I
had the will to break off whenever saw
that was going too far.
But found that I might as well try to
bind an African lion. with rope of
sand.
Finally 1 married, and then my wife
found out too late that she had married
without due caution. She pleaded with
me often, but I put her away with idle
jest, and kept my way.
Then there came time when my
father passed by me with bowed head,
that he might not see the marks of dissi-
patton in my face. His hair whitened
before its time, and nature laid him
softly in the grave. he was dead Of
broken heart. One. day my mother came
to me and begged that for that one night
would promise to go home to my wife
and children apd try to make them
happy. "The straiu," she said, "is more
than I can bear when think of you" I
promised, and I did 60. I thank God
every day that I did so. After an even
ing spent pleasantly, policeman rang
my bell, and when went to the door
told me that my mother, when rising
from her knees in ner roors, had fallen
over dead. I wept over her, and then to
drown remorse and grief went on a
debauch.
Finally I saw in my wife's face that
she had lost her hope. saw my chill
dren fee when I came home, NOT know
ing what they might expect from a
drunken father.
As supreme effort to save me my wife
went to Judge Hammond, of the Court
where I was employed, and got him to
write out legal notices to the saloon
keepers forbidding them to sell Liquor to
me. She signed them, and a faithful
officer delivered them. The barkeepers
stuck them in Che mirror behind the bar,
and made them the butt and scof of
every drunken loafer that entered. They
knew my wife was too proud to prose.
| cute them. She hired detective to fol-
low me and warn the liquor men not to
give me drink, and he did so faithfully.
They would say to him: "Certsinly;
we have the notices; and will obey
them." Then they would call some
hanger.on and send the liquor to me that
they might get the money they knew I
had for them. And there hung those
notices, blistered by my wife's tears.
They cared no more for them than for
rain drops on the roof
And yet, my friends, when I tell this
story there are lot of pulpy, weak
kneed people that rise up and say that I
am crank on the liquor question.
I had at last arrived at a condition
where Iwas on the dividing line between
imbeeility and the condition which
drives men to suicide, when on Septem.
ber 13, 1885, awoke in lucid interval.
I looked at my children, and saw them
shrink away from me in terror, not
knowing what my mood might be, and I
determined that T would do something
that day to,make them at least forget for
the time their little sorrow. It was Sun.
day. Sam Jones WAS preaching at q
town fifty miles North of there, in big
tent. was the city editor of a paper in
Atlanta, and knew all about him, but I
had not printed much about him. 1 was
orthodox, too orthodox to print such
stuff. But I thought I would take the
children up there. The big tent and the
crowd would be novelty to them.
I had to go on the platform among the
reporters. There was no other place. I
took notes for while, but 1 soon had to
leave that for the regular man. I was
too much interested. I left that place
more deeply convicted of my sins than
any one present. sent my children
home, and I began spree taat astonish-
ed even my old cronies. wanted to
blot out the effects of what I had heard.
All of Sunday night, sll of Monday, all
of Tuesday night 1 drank, but I could
not lose my memory. The liquor did not
affect me as before.
At 10 o'clock Tuesday morning a
friend came to me as l leaned my head
on a table in barroom, and said my
wife was looking for me in the street. I
went home with her. Then I went up
stairs to my library, locked the door, and
threw myself on my knees in an agony
of shame and remorse, and prayed to
God for mercy. Until o'clock I
remained there, incoherent, and without
hope. I was giving over all further
effort when I raised my head, and the
light came to me. My troubles were at
| an end. I Irealized that there had come
to me the peace that passeth understand.
ing.
| When l hastened to tell my wife she
broke down in utter sorrow. She did
not understand. She believed that had
lost my mind and was in the first stage
of mental exaltation that marks one form
of insanity. But my little ones believed
ma and knealinp there hv the hpdside of